The LOC has announced a new online collection of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy called, strangely enough, “Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy.” It’s available at http://international.loc.gov/intldl/apochtml/apochome.html. .

The collection features over 350 calligraphy sheets that span the 9th to the 19th centuries. There’s also additional information including essays on calligraphic styles.

You can search the collection by keyword or browse by title, subject, or calligrapher. A search for poem found 40 results, ranging from “New Year’s (Noruz) poem” to “Illuminated first page / identification note of the Farhang-i Jahangiri”. Descriptions are extensive and when appropriate there are translations available. I just wish that the thumbnails were larger; these pieces are too detailed for small thumbnails.